ResearchFaculty

ABE Casio

ABE Casio Associate Professor

Division/Department

Linguistics and Literature / Filmology and Cultural Studies of Representation

Specialized Field

Research in film and subculture, Japanese poetry studies

Research Subject

The body of the actor, narration and cinematographic technique in Japanese film. Structural analysis of manga, music (rock, J-pop), anime and photography. Studies in poetry centred on haiku and tanka. Creative writing. Media studies

Penetrate structures specific to works
and affirm those structures with a feeling of awe.

It’s easy to discuss subcultures and arts, including movies, music and animated cartoons, on a “love it or hate it” basis, but it’s necessary to gain an in-depth understanding of these works when one intends to develop a criticism of them as works. Why did the author choose such a way of expression? It’s not until you can penetrate the physical structures specific to the work – lyrics and chords for music, and the layouts of frames for cartoons – that you find a pleasure akin to the ecstasy of having succeeded in truly objectifying the work.

Ironically enough, when we describe a voice, for instance, the question arises of how one can precisely describe that voice. The moment comes when words fall short. I believe that affirming works with a feeling of awe is conducive to enhancing the overall conditions of expressive culture in Japan.

Professor Abe has produced commentaries on various subjects, ranging from movies, music, comic books and subcultures to comedy, a field beyond regular realms. He has also published a collection of his poetry.

Things literary, which are prone to be undervalued in a society that emphasizes practical learning, bring one a diversity of happy occasions, such as by contributing to smooth communication. These occasions include not only when one comments on works, but also when a commentator plays the role of a producer of works. While exchanging e-mails with the students under my supervision, I myself have resumed poetry writing. I believe that in academic research, poetic intuition also helps to enhance originality that doesn’t exist in conventional eyes.

My instruction resembles a live performance that mainly consists of colloquial words, as opposed to presentations based on a preprinted draft. I cordially expect you to determine your own policies and ways of thinking from the space where my quick-firing thoughts and wide array of quoted proper nouns fly.